Don’t talk about it, be about it

“Talking about the thing and doing the thing vie for the same resources. Allocate your energy appropriately.” - Ryan Holiday

This is an insight I’ve been obsessed with for a long time.

It’s actually represented in our brain chemistry too.

Talking about our plans gives us a small reward, a dump of dopamine.

No where near as much as doing the thing would do, but it also takes no where near as much effort as doing the thing would do.

This is how people can get stuck in the trap of always dreaming and never building.

They inoculate themselves from having to do things in the real world by limiting their efforts to the confines of their skull.

There’s something about this type of person which has always turned me off.

I think it’s because our natural tendency is to respond to people who dream and pontificate by doing the same ourselves.

And I’ve had a sense that being around these people encourages me to dream rather than build.

I’ve never wanted to talk about things I want to do unless I’m making a genuine effort to bring them into reality.

Generally, I think this is a good rule.

Don’t discuss dreams unless you’re planning builds.

We all have that friend who is fantastic at talking plans but never seems to make any progress toward them.

That’s the person I never want to be.

Negative friends bring you down, but at least you know that they’re a bad influence.

Dreaming friends do the same, but you don’t notice the effect.

Don’t talk about it, be about it.